Operator RoRo/LoLo Port Rotation
Atlantic Container Line Combination Baltimore, Portsmouth, New York, Halifax, Liverpool,
roro/lolo Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Goteborg
CMA CGM Lolo Le Harve, Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Liverpool, Boston,
New York, Baltimore, Norfolk
CP Ships (Hapag Lloyd) Lolo Bremerhaven, Gothenborg, Antwerp, Liverpool,
Baltimore, Portsmouth, New York, Halifax
China Shipping Container Lines Lolo Le Harve, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Liverpool,
New York, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston
Antwerp, Liverpool, Chester, Richmond
Independent Container Line Lolo Antwerp, Liverpool, Montreal, Toronto
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Lolo Gothenborg, Antwerp, Liverpool, Bremerhaven,
Wallenius – Wilhelmsen Lines Roro Zeebrugge, Southamption, Halifax, New York, Baltimore,
Portsmouth, Charleston, Savannah, Brunswick,
Manzanillo, Port Hueneme, Tacoma
EUKOR 21 Car Carrier Roro
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Intermodal Links
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In 2001 the Schmidt report
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revealed that 53 per cent of all Irish With regard to the Ireland-Liverpool infrastructure much
ro/ro traffic on routes from Southern and Northern Ireland into development and improvement has taken place here. Mersey
the North of the UK, Liverpool, Birkenhead and Heysham use Docks and Harbours Company (MDHC) are now planning a
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e it as a landbridge option to Europe. In response to the large second river terminal for Irish Sea ro/ro ferries at Langton dock
amount of Irish traffic transiting through the UK en-route to on the Liverpool bank of the Mersey. The company are also
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the continent, a rail connection has been under development for looking to develop new terminal facilities for Super Sea Cat
some years now. Central Railway
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is a proposal to connect services to Dublin and Douglas, Isle of Man as part of ro/ro
existing railway alignments on both sides of the channel cruise-ship development. Other changes undertaken include five

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between UK and France. It addresses the upgrading of existing new ship-to-shore gantry cranes and a straddle carrier fleet
railways to provide capacity for new lorries-on-trains rail replacement programme incorporating satellite positioning
services and all types of UK and Continental freight trains. The technology; this has increased productivity by 30 per cent. In
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company, Central Railways, is currently developing and 2005 Peel Holdings Group took over MDHC. MDHC owns
evaluating an approximate 700 mile freight network which the Port of Liverpool along with owning and operating MTL
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could run from Scotland to Northern France. It is proposed to terminal in Dublin, BG Freightline, Coastal Container Line and
take Irish traffic off the congested main M62 route through a Dublin Container and Transport Services Ltd. The port has
direct connection with the ro/ro services into Liverpool with a now become part of the UK’s second largest port group to
rail hub located at the port. The M62 provides direct include Clydeport in Scotland, Manchester ship canal, Heysham
connections to Merseyside, Warrington, Greater Manchester, Port and Medway Ports in the south east of England.
West Yorkshire, Humberside, the North East and the North
West. It is essentially the main North UK gateway for traffic, Heysham
connecting to the M6, M1, A1 and M18 for national Heysham is a port located on the south part of Morecambe bay
distribution. As of yet the Central Railway project is still in the on the North West coast of the UK. This is a multi-purpose
concept phase and needs significant support from both the UK port that serves the Irish market through direct ferry links
and French governments in order to proceed. operated by Seatruck Ferries from Warrenpoint & Dublin and
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Norfolkline from Dublin & Belfast.
Port Facilities
Port of Liverpool Birkenhead
The Port of Liverpool handles 33 per cent of all freight crossing Birkenhead is a ferry port on the opposite bank of the River
the Irish Sea. Over half a million (ro/ro) freight units a year Mersey to Liverpool. It is also linked to the Irish market via
between Ireland and the UK are handled by Liverpool.
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direct roro services operated by Seatruck Ferries to Warrenpoint
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and Norfolkline to Belfast & Dublin.
The port is a vital element in the development of the economy
of Liverpool, Merseyside and the North West as a whole and is Fleetwood
also very important in developing employment for the region. Fleetwood is situated on the Lancashire coast south of
On average 30 million tonnes of cargo pass through Liverpool Heysham. It is a central port for ro/ro traffic from Northern
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every year. Over 5,000 people are employed in the port area or Ireland to the UK. Stena operates both freight and passenger
business activities linked to it. services 3 times per day between Larne & Fleetwood.
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As reported in the NETA Report, 2001
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www.central-railways.co.uk
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Source: IMDO, 2006
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